Today presented probably the most stimulating ride thus far. The ride from Olympia to Redmond was a maze through the cityscape. I was all over the metropolitan area; that’s really the best way to put it.
Armed with a google map of the area on my phone, I had to stop quite frequently to memorize the next three turns, that more often than not, were in the next couple miles. It was a choppy ride for almost the entire day. I was stop and go with the red lights. Sometimes I got held up trying to cross traffic. And once I had to backtrack as Google tried to take me through a gated community.
Those were the negatives. The positives, I rode through neighborhood streets, past high schools, and along the bay that acts as a coastline. I saw bridges and buildings unique to the area. I saw families boarding taxies at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport. At one point I even wound up on a bike path riding past the Seattle Seahawks practice facility. Oh and at just about dinner time, I rode by the Microsoft Headquarters.
It was a wild day. The traffic was stressful at times. Occasionally I had to pull off some precise maneuvers to stay out of their way. That came with the territory though. I traversed almost 80 miles of urban sprawl.
Redmond is to the North East of Seattle. And more precisely, the Motel 6 I’m staying at is 17 miles North East of the city’s center. You might be thinking I got really lost along the way. Don’t worry, I am in Redmond because the brother-in-law (?) of one of my dad’s coworkers, Trent, graciously accepted the birth certificate and photo ID my dad sent from home. He’s been patiently waiting my arrival to complete the “handoff” and I have to give many thanks because I now no longer have to try so hard to prove my identity to a new staff every time I try and book a motel. Thanks again Trent, and especially thanks dad for being someone I can depend on (I can’t stress enough the importance of a quality father figure, blood or not).
You’ve heard about the day’s ride, “So what’s next?”. Well, there’s that cup of coffee I still need to get. Also the Mariners are in town, and judging by their record, they should be a cheap ticket. Other sites I’d like to see include the University of Washington and the Space Needle. I’m going to try and get the most out of my short time here (Seattle and Life).
My transportation home is still up in the air. Plane, train, or automobile, I’m trying to coordinate the option that will allow me to suck every drop out of this sweet life that I have been living for the summer months. Soon it’s back to the real world, but for now, I couldn’t guess at what’s around the corner. I love it and I am so grateful to have the chance to live out a dream.
